


i’d marry you with paper rings

by spellfire



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cuddling, Fluff, Happy Ending, Inspired by Taylor Swift, M/M, Shopping Date, and they were ROOMMATES, cute kissy kissy, soobin teases him a lot, soogyu pretends to be married for a discount, this fic is so cute i swear, tsundere beomgyu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:01:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27926428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spellfire/pseuds/spellfire
Summary: “Would you two like to take a look at our couple catalogue? Today is the first day of our winter sale, and our wedding collections are on discount for 20 percent off.”He originally just wanted to get Soobin a ring, but after hearing about the promotion, a different light bulb lit up in his head.“Yes, please. Me and my fiancé would like that very much.”Next to him, he could feel Soobin jolt up in shock. He turned to meet Beomgyu’s desperate eyes, lips already parted. Beomgyu, as always, already knew what his roommate was about to say, so his grip on his fingers hardened. “Right, babe?”(In which Beomgyu and Soobin pretended to be a couple for a discount, but things didn’t turn out to be so simple).
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Choi Soobin
Comments: 41
Kudos: 348





	i’d marry you with paper rings

**Author's Note:**

> soogyu fluff time! inspired by that vlive where someone asked what their gift for soobin’s birthday was and beomgyu said “option one, i take him to buy his present with me. option two, i sleep in his bed to warm it for him.” and also inspired by taylor swift - paper rings!

Beomgyu was minding his own business. 

He was chewing on some random strawberry pocky stick he stole from an open packet on the lounge table when a hand enclosed itself around his wrist. “Hey.” 

Beomgyu immediately responded with an automated huff, recognising the voice all too well. He even threw in an eye roll for good measure before turning to the pile of black hoodie and long legs on the navy couch. “What?” 

The male in question immediately stood up, towering over him with a smile Beomgyu learned to recognise as the nothing-ever-good-coming-out-of-it type of mischief. He knew immediately to brace himself for some bullshit as soon as he was met with that smile; Beomgyu knew this guy all too well like the back of his hand to the point where he can already predict what he was going to say even before those heart-shaped lips parted. 

“Either I go shopping with you for my birthday gift or you’ll sleep in my bed to warm it up for me, huh?” 

“Dear God,” he exclaimed, already fed up with the conversation two sentences in. “That was a joke, for the fans! You will never be blessed enough to have me do either for you.” Beomgyu spoke through the pocky stick still bitten in a tethering grasp between his front teeth. “Just consider yourself lucky I won’t lock you out tonight.” 

“Are you really going to be so heartless? I’m the birthday boy, Gyu.” What he didn’t expect was the mischievous smile on Soobin’s face to grow tenfold wider—Beomgyu never failed to notice how his eyes crinkled into disappearance, cheeks balling up with dimples deep to the point of mesmerisation—before the taller boy leaned in to snap his pocky stick in half with a bite from his own mouth. 

Beomgyu immediately jolted back in surprise, but the reaction seemed to only feed Soobin’s growing satisfaction at his attempt to fluster him, so the former just resorted to a steel glare. “Hey! Stop doing that!” Out of a desperate attempt to swallow the weird lump of heat rising through his chest, he aggressively chomped on his pocky stick—or whatever’s left of it, looking away bashfully. “You have a gift for me, right?” 

“I am the gift, hyung.” He retorted petulantly, lips curved into a competitive pout. Soobin just cooed, pulling him in closer by his hold and patting his head with his free arm. “How adorable. It’s true that you’re cute and warm, but there’s got to be more you can offer for your favourite roommate in the world, no?”

What he’s always despised about his roommate is how the guy will always find whatever he does entertaining, no matter how angered or annoyed Beomgyu looked in result of his constant teasing. Screw him, really. “First of all, you’re my _only_ roommate in the world, calling yourself a favourite is unfair monopolisation. Second of all, nope you will not get me with your baby talk this time.” 

There he went again with his stupid dimples and his stupid eye crinkle. “Baby talk? So you admit you're a baby.” 

And God, did Beomgyu hate it every single time Soobin called him baby for reasons he’d rather not disclose. 

The leader would intentionally tease him about things he knew would get on his nerves, or unnecessarily compliment him over mundane things to the point of Beomgyu shrinking three times in size out of embarrassment. It seemed like no matter what he does, Soobin will always call him adorable and laugh at him a good amount before teasing him some more. Beomgyu dreaded it—less of the teasing, and more of the way Soobin’s smiles and empty compliments made his chest swell in ways he’d rather not ponder about. 

He wanted to storm out of the room, going with the rest of the members back to their dorm. They had left moments after they finished their live broadcast to catch up on the much needed rest after a long day of practice. Beomgyu, being the tough-mouthed guy but soft-hearted roommate he was, said he’d stay behind to wait for Soobin to arrive from his Music Bank schedule. 

Right now, however, he wanted to do nothing more than curse his generosity; because it was just the two of them left in the lounge, staffs clearing their ways out and the building left half as busy as what it normally should be. “Hyung, aren’t you tired? If you’re not tired, I’m tired. Let’s go home.” He spoke up, lightly hitting Soobin’s chest with his tiny palm in a way that didn’t seem like it hurt enough to justify the wince that followed after. 

Soobin whined, shoulders slouching in defeat. _Perhaps he was tired after all_ , and the thought made Beomgyu’s eyes soften. So he sighed, defeated, reaching up to gently grab the leader’s shoulders, giving the surprisingly hard muscles a few relaxing squeezes. “You’re so tense.” 

It has become an unspoken habit between them—maybe it was because of the fact that they’re roommates, but it’s always been easy for both of them to tell just when the other was worn out. Without speaking, they’d give each other small massages unneeded, relishing in the comfortable silence. 

Such was the case now as Soobin sighed comfortably and his tall form leaned onto Beomgyu, head dipped into the crook of his neck and arms loosely circled around his waist. If Beomgyu was affected by the close proximity and mildly romantic position, he didn’t show it. “Your hands always feel so nice,” grumbled Soobin into the hem of his hood. “Give me a massage when we get home tonight.” 

Beomgyu almost seriously considered this idea before remembering in the last split second that exhibiting tenderness would only result in a week’s worth of endless teasing from the older. So, he snickered, and lightly pushed Soobin away. “You wish, letting you sleep in your bed tonight is as generous as I could get.” 

Soobin pouted at his forced retreat, brows adorably furrowed. Yet he said no more as Beomgyu gently reached for his hand and guided him out of the lounge area.

* * *

Needless to say, Soobin was shocked to discover that his normally hopeless attempt at twisting the doorknob resulted in fruition this time. 

“So you actually didn’t lock me out?” Soobin commented, a smug smile already making its way onto his face as he reached up to dry his hair with a towel. He wasn’t paying attention to where the male in question was, eyes shielded by said towel in his hands—and he should have, because when he finally registered that Beomgyu was snuggled up in _his_ bed, it was too late. 

The younger didn’t respond to his witty remark, frame looking impeccably small as he laid there, swarmed by the pool of bunched up sheets— _Soobin_ ’s sheets. 

Beomgyu usually had a spiteful comeback to everything just to have the last word, so why was he awfully silent now? 

When Soobin finally took a few steps closer to his bed with a raised brow, he discovered why. 

The former was beet red, lips pressed into a straight line and brows furrowed like he was put there against his will. “What are you doing in my bed?” He stated the obvious, head cocked to the side in question. 

This made something inside Beomgyu snap, finally letting out the whine he’d been holding. He lightly kicked the sheets like an angry child, small fists holding onto them with more aggression than necessary. “Didn’t you ask? Warming up your bed for you, idiot.” 

There were a few moments of unbearable silence on Beomgyu’s end as Soobin didn’t respond. When he did, however, he let out the most boisterous laugh he’s ever heard, throwing himself onto the former in a way that garnered a surprised shriek from Beomgyu. “My goodness, you really are so cute! Can’t resist me, can you?” 

“Stop it, you giant! You are going to crush me to death!” He faked a suffocated groan as Soobin tackled him, his laughter still not ceasing when he collected the smaller male into a side hug. After a few failed attempts at pushing an unbudging Soobin, Beomgyu conceded his defeat with a dejected grumble. 

“Beomgyu, I like you so much,” said Soobin, tone light and full of giggles as he reached in to ruffle Beomgyu’s hair. Those words shouldn’t make his heart jump into battle mode the way it did, but Beomgyu can only hope it didn’t show on his face how much he liked it. “You are so endearing. I just know I’m your favourite, you’re not even trying to hide it.” 

“Lord, you are so noisy.” It was like Beomgyu was programmed to respond to every one of Soobin’s compliments with an insult, because these words flew out of his mouth before his coping mechanism even processed what he said. He’s just so good at masking his fluster with annoyance, it’s his only trait he found fairly redeemable. “Don’t get used to it, this is just a special treatment for your birthday.” 

“Why can’t every day be my birthday, then? Will you warm my bed every night?” Soobin pulled back slightly to regard him with eyes that sparkled with mischief. Beomgyu would normally huff at his pointless attempt at banter had it not been for the hint of genuineness that flickered behind them. 

Beomgyu’s lips pressed into a line, contemplating agreeing. His last minute asshole tendencies kicked in and got the better of him, however. “Whatever, hyung. Now that you’re here, I’m going back to my bed.” 

He sat up, trying to pry Soobin’s arms away from where they were wrapped around him—have they been on his hips this entire time?—trying to push past the older male so he could climb out. 

He didn’t even make it past the edge of the bed when, as expected, he was instantly pulled back down. Beomgyu could only let out a displeased grunt before he came crashing down onto the leader’s chest. “No can do.” 

This just made it much, much worse. Before, he was just laying sideways next to him, but now he was sprawled right on top of Soobin in a manner that was too touchy for the comfort of his poor heart. His face was scarily close, still sporting that unbelievably adorable eye smile. If his heart was in battle mode before, now it’s gone straight into war. “Since I’m getting the birthday special treatment, can’t I push my luck a little further?” He mused, wrapping his arms around his petite person once more. 

At this point, Beomgyu was praying to whatever deities present that the panic he felt in his chest wasn’t showing on his face. He didn’t trust if his wishes were heard, so he resorted to the next best option—burying his face into Soobin’s chest, only letting out a muffled groan that went straight into the latter’s giggles. “I am not giving you a massage.” 

It was annoying that Soobin knew no matter how much Beomgyu acted like he hated it, he actually didn’t. In fact, it’s always been quite the opposite—and each time Soobin would see straight through his false pretence. “No need. Just stay like this.” Once his chuckles subsided, Soobin responded in a surprisingly soft tone. Beomgyu didn’t have it in him to retaliate, thus he just laid there as told. 

Without a word, Soobin’s slender fingers combed through his hair, gently scratching the back of his head just where he liked it. Beomgyu let out a small, satisfied noise at the back of his throat, akin to a purr. He could feel Soobin’s chest from underneath him contract in a snort, like he was going to laugh, yet he didn’t pull his hand away. 

It was always this about them—always this about Soobin that got Beomgyu feeling so at home whenever he was with him. Their relationship may be full of pointless banters and dumb giggles over lame jokes and weak punches, but behind closed doors they take on a whole other definition. What he shared with the other members were beautiful bonds he’d never take for granted, but what he had with Soobin was purely something else entirely. 

It was in the way how Soobin was always the first to notice something off about him. The first to glance his way and look for him in a crowd. The first face he sees when he wakes up, the last before he goes to sleep, and the only one he wants to see whenever days get rough. It was in how he always knew just what to do to make Beomgyu feel so relaxed and warm, even without him asking. How he knows all the little niches about what Beomgyu likes or dislikes, what lifts his mood and what doesn’t; and most importantly, how he knows exactly what to do to get his heart going rampage. He wondered if the last part was also intentional. 

“Goodnight, hyung.”

With a few more strokes to his hair, lulled by the steady rise and fall of Soobin’s chest, Beomgyu found his eyelids growing heavier by the second. The older boy hummed a soft melody—Beomgyu found the song to be somehow familiar, but he couldn’t quite name it—his other hand rubbing soothing circles into the small of his lower back. The younger sighed happily, comfortably entangling his legs into Soobin’s longer ones, nuzzling his face deeper into his chest. 

“Goodnight, little Gyu.” 

It might be his own drowsiness, the practice fatigue, or the product of hallucination from his own rapidly beating heart—but as Beomgyu pressed his ears against the older’s chest, he could have sworn that his heart was leaping, too. 

* * *

The next morning Soobin woke up, he was awakened to a grand slam in his face with a pillow. 

“What the hell—” He exclaimed before his consciousness even came to him, reaching up to shield his face immediately. When he managed to peek an eye open, a blurry outline of a familiar frame was all that filled his vision. 

Beomgyu was straddling his hips, face leaning in unbearably close, a pillow in his hand. He snorted, brows tied into an almost permanent knot. “Get up, slowpoke. We’re going to be late.” He said, hopping off Soobin’s lap and onto his feet. 

The older boy just groaned, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. He scratched the side of his head, still groggy and dumbfounded. “But we don’t have a schedule today.” 

The younger only responded with an unimpressed huff. “The group? No. You and me? Yes. Now get up and go get ready.” 

_Huh?_ Was the only thing circulating through a sleep-riddled Soobin’s head, but he still dragged his legs off the bed and stood up anyway, rubbing his eyes with a bewildered look on his face. 

It didn’t take him until after showering and twenty minutes into drying his hair in their room for Soobin to finally realise what Beomgyu meant.

And when he did, the most mischievous nothing-good-ever-coming-out-of-it smile stretched across his face. Beomgyu, who was putting on his jacket, groaned once he gained sight of it. 

“You’re taking me shopping for my birthday gift, aren’t you?”

Beomgyu hoped that the way he rolled his eyes with melodrama helped distract Soobin from the faint wash of colour growing on his cheeks. “Took you that long to realise?”

Soobin just turned off the hair dryer with the proudest smile on his face and stood up. “And what are we late to?”

“If you keep standing there, hyung, you are never gonna find out.” Retorted a fed up Beomgyu, not wanting to deal with the invasion of his heart via Soobin’s bright smile this early in the morning. 

Soobin only chuckled, walking to his side of the closet to pick out his outfit. Beomgyu took that as a cue to leave the room, closing the door rather bashfully behind him. 

Well, how could Beomgyu find a mildly acceptable way to tell his hyung that he’s actually booked out the entire store for them to go shopping together?

* * *

“You what?” Soobin shrieked through the barrier of his mask, eyes wide as they turned to him. Despite having the lower half of his face concealed, Beomgyu could perfectly imagine what he probably looked like underneath it—pouty lips curled into a small, surprised ‘o’. 

There it was, the question he dreaded. Now onto being teased for the next month until Soobin eventually forgets about his stupidly grand gesture. “Yes, hyung. You’re special like that, now let’s go before our time’s up and they open the doors for other customers and we get paparazzi pictures taken.”

“Why, you don’t want to be seen on a date with me?” Chuckled a now amused Soobin as they made their way through the most secluded emergency exit of the shopping mall—their little trick to avoid seeing as many people as possible when they do go shopping like regular people. 

Beomgyu almost skipped a stair and fell face first at the implication with the term ‘date’. He knew that the leader was just picking on him as usual, but his heart did not find it as funny. “You wish I’d agree to go on a date with you.” He bitterly grumbled, climbing the stairs two steps at a time to put as much distance between them as possible. 

“Aren’t you taking me on one right now, though?” Soobin responded, long legs taking just a few strides before he was already at his side again. _I hate tall people._ “You like me so much, it’s painfully obvious.”

Beomgyu made a suffocated noise at the back of his throat like he just threw up in his mouth. “For the umpteenth time, it’s because it’s your birthday. Once a year, hyung. You get it? Once a year.” 

And to his dismay, the older just laughed some more and slung an arm around his smaller shoulder. When they finally got to their designated exit, the shop in question was the first to greet them to their right. Soobin’s eyes expanded to the size of saucers while Beomgyu just casually approached an already waiting employee by the entrance. “Mr. Choi? Welcome.”

As they walked in with a little inclination of their heads toward the row of standing employees, Soobin whispered underneath his breath. “ _Cartier_? Are you insane? When you said you’d reserve a store for some unbothered shopping, I thought of something like Hollister.’’ 

“Relax, I have a membership,” whispered back Beomgyu. Soobin’s arm was still around his shoulder, and somehow under the prying gazes of twenty something store employees all directed to them, his stomach did a weird churn. _Fuck, we probably look like a couple._

They approached a counter with an already standing employee clad in a suit waiting for them, beneath him an array of jewelries boxed under a row of glass displays. “Gentlemen, please have a seat.”

“I’d like to have his ring size measured, please.” Said Beomgyu, taking off his mask and tucking it away into his coat pocket. Soobin did the same before they took a seat on the stools in front of the counter. 

Sometime last week, Beomgyu vaguely remembered Soobin whining about always misplacing his bracelet, saying it’d be much more convenient if it was a ring instead. 

_“I don’t get it, a ring is smaller and even easier to misplace.” He lazily responded from the comfort of his upper bunk bed, half buried underneath his sheets, typing away at his phone._

_From below him, he could hear Soobin holler back. “Yeah, but I’d wear it more if it’s smaller because it’d just sit on my finger. The bracelet gets stuck on my sleeves sometimes when I change so I need to take it off, it’s annoying.”_

Of course that didn’t go unnoticed by Beomgyu as the next day he pulled up the online Cartier website, already looking at their most recommended products.

Next to him, Soobin’s expression shifted into one of surprise, like he just remembered their conversation from last week. Beomgyu just wiggled a brow at him smugly. 

“Would you two like to take a look at our couple catalogue? Today is the first day of our winter sale, and our wedding collections are on discount for 20 percent off.” The employee said, already whipping up a catalogue from nowhere and sliding it to them from across the glass counter. 

He almost let out a laugh at the implication of him and Soobin being a couple, raising his hands as if to dismiss the misunderstanding. But when he finally registered what the employee said, Beomgyu’s eyes now also widened. 

He didn’t remember seeing this on the website, nor was he told when he made the call to reserve the store. _A discount? It’s only beginning today?_

He originally just wanted to get Soobin a ring, but after hearing about the promotion, a different light bulb lit up in his head. 

What can he say? He’s always been a sucker for discounts. Who doesn’t, anyway? Saving some money wouldn’t hurt. 

Once he finally decided, Beomgyu suddenly reached in to entwine his fingers with Soobin’s and flashed the salesman a sickenly sweet smile, forcing a fake chuckle. “Yes, please. Me and my fiancé would like that very much.”

Next to him, he could feel Soobin jolt up in shock. He turned to meet Beomgyu’s desperate eyes, lips already parted. Beomgyu, as always, already knew what his roommate was about to say, so his grip on his fingers hardened. “Right, babe?”

Confusion vividly flitted past the older’s face to the point of it being almost laughable. However, after a silent moment of confused stares and exchanged glances, Soobin eventually forced a smile and nod. “That’s right, darling.” He played along, squeezing Beomgyu’s hand in return with force that was way more painful than necessary. The corner of the latter’s eye twitched, his smile beginning to hurt. 

“You two make a great couple.” The employee complimented, flashing them a courteous smile before flipping through the pages for them. Beomgyu knew that he was just being nice, but his heart immediately took that and ran away with it. 

“Thank you. My fiancé has good taste.” Said Soobin, already enjoying this way more than he should. “You should have seen his face when I proposed to him, he was all teary eyed and gasping. We were so excited to finally come and pick out our ring,” his smile only grew cheekier with every word he said, eyes staring straight into Beomgyu’s panicked one. “Isn’t that right, honey?”

Sure, they tease each other all the time and would always play along with whatever idiocy the other came up with—that’s just the niche of their friendship. Everything has always been for laughs. But this? Beomgyu was not laughing. 

His heart went into a frenzy inside his chest, hammering like sirens in his ears. Only after gulping nervously was he able to find his voice again, clearing his throat and following up with an agreeable chuckle. “When I heard that your sale begins today, I called in immediately.” He went along, smiling with too much teeth for it to be genuine.

“That sounds lovely. I wish you both a pleasant wedding.” The employee smiled politely before showing them the couple’s catalogue. Beomgyu tried to distract himself from the heat crawling up his face by pretending to be super interested with the designs, while Soobin’s eyes were trained on him the entire time, smiling in amusement. 

Beomgyu hated it. Less of the smile, but more of the look in his eyes that would make his face burn had he not caught them. If Soobin could stop staring at him like he was the most endearing thing in the world every time, Beomgyu wouldn’t be hopelessly crushing on him like he was now. 

But no, Soobin just had to look at him with those soft eyes and give him those stupid little heartfelt compliments. What’s worse was that every single time, Beomgyu would always see genuinity on his face whenever he said them. It would always get him. He wished it wouldn’t. 

“Baby, I think this’ll look good on you.” Said the culprit next to him, face eerily close to his as he leaned in to point at a certain design. _The love rings._

Beomgyu was fucked. 

When they finally checked out with their couple rings and exited the store, Beomgyu let out the biggest exhale of his life. “Was that your way of confessing? Couple rings?”

“No! God, no. That was because they had a discount. I just wanted to get you a ring, that’s it.” His tone came off more defensive than it should. They made their turn and went back down to the emergency exit before Soobin let out a small laugh. “Excuses after excuses. You have such a soft spot for me. Admit it, I’m your favourite.” He singsonged just as Beomgyu groaned. “At least Yeonjun hyung buys me food after he gets on my nerves. You? Nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing? I always give you the biggest gift of all.” The older exclaimed as they started descending the stairs. Just like earlier, it was deserted, void of even a single person in sight. Beomgyu used that as an excuse to postpone putting on his mask until they reach the ground floor, since no one was going to see them anyway. “Oh? And what is that?”

“My love!” Whined Soobin. He must have been on the same wavelength as him, because he wasn’t reaching for his mask either. “Oh please. You probably say that to others all the time too. Haven’t you been spending more time sleeping with Hueningkai lately anyway? You don’t even love _love_ me. Pft.”

“Aw, are you jealous?” The taller male cooed, reaching in to ruffle his hair. Beomgyu tried to dodge, alas he was a second too late. The hand ended up messing through his head anyway. “What the fuck? No!”

“You sound jealous. Is my little Gyu jealous?” And here comes Soobin’s personal pet name for him. The leader always liked to tease him for their height difference, even though they were only five centimeters apart because _‘you’re just somehow so tiny!’_. Each time Beomgyu tried to reason, he’d always fail. He has long given up and made peace with it. 

“So what if I am?” The words blurted past his lips before he even had a chance to think them through. Beomgyu immediately cursed himself at his bad habit of never thinking before he speaks. _Damn it, you have a brain. Use it more often_. “I mean, I’m your roommate but you never even sleep with me anymore. Of course I would be!” He tried to explain himself, hoping that would take off the embarrassment on his part. 

Soobin’s voice surprisingly grew soft. “Silly, it’s because you always lock me out and every time I bang on the door you never wake up.”

This made heat rise to Beomgyu’s face. He knew that he was a heavy sleeper, but he didn’t learn that it would be to this extent. “But you admit you’re jealous? That’s so adorable. Did you miss sleeping with me, huh?” Soobin remarked, scratching the underside of his chin with his fingers. Beomgyu turned away, rolling his eyes. “Drop it or you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

He caught Soobin whispering a ‘so cute’ underneath his bed as they were about to round a corner to an exit on the first floor. They expected no one to come through, but to their surprise, the doors swung open. Voices immediately filled the prior quiet stairway, along with sets of multiple footsteps coming from the other side of the corner. Excited chatters could be heard, all sounding like they belonged to teenage girls. 

Panic grew in both their eyes as they stopped in their tracks. Neither of them had their masks on, and if these were older adults they’d worry less about being recognised; but since they sounded like teenage girls, there was an even higher chance of them being spotted and swarmed. 

_Please go down the other way._ Beomgyu found himself desperately reaching into his coat pocket, fumbling for his mask. If the group of girls went downstairs to the ground floor and not up, they would be safe. 

But of course God wouldn’t let him have it his way. Instead, the footsteps grew closer and the voices grew louder, signifying what he dreaded—they were indeed climbing up the stairs, seconds away from coming face to face with them. Neither of them would put their masks on in time. 

Just as Beomgyu turned on his heels, about to go back up, a hand grabbed him by his wrist. 

Soobin was staring at him with a desperate look in his eyes when he suddenly pushed the former against the wall, trapping Beomgyu between the railing and his taller frame. 

“Wh—?” Before the latter even had a chance to process what was happening, Soobin cupped his face with both hands, mumbled a tiny apology under his breath, and leaned in to press his lips against the younger’s. 

Beomgyu’s eyes grew wide, a tiny yelp torn out of his throat that was immediately silenced by Soobin’s kiss. He was too shocked to move nor even respond, standing helplessly rooted. _This could not be real. I must be dreaming. No way._

Behind them, the group of girls were slowly walking by, chattering dying down into hushed whispers. He could vaguely make out noises of disgust from a couple of them as they made their ways past, but to his relief none seemed to recognise who they were. 

_Of course._ Public displays of affection were often frowned upon as it made people around them extremely uncomfortable. They’d always mind their own business and look away, trying their best to avoid them and pass by as quickly as possible. 

A perfect disguise in plain sight. 

Beomgyu never thought to do such things in such a short period of time, thank God for Soobin’s quick leader instincts to come up with the fastest solutions. 

Logically, he was relieved that they weren’t recognised. But emotionally, he was _not_ relieved—not even close. In fact, he was falling apart, emotions spilling through his entire body, overwhelming every one of his senses. 

Beomgyu let out a weak whimper as he felt his knees give up from underneath him, melting completely into Soobin. Like he was expectant of it, the latter placed a strong grip onto his waist, holding him in place. 

Beomgyu’s heart was beating to the point of almost going haywire in his chest. To his panic-riddled mind, he could hear Soobin’s heartbeat quickening too, but wasn’t certain if it was just a product of his imagination. 

His hands felt like lifeless limbs as he lifted them to hold onto Soobin’s shoulders, trying his best to remain upright. Has his shoulders always felt this strong and broad? And was that a cologne he smelled? Has Soobin always smelled like mint and ocean breeze? 

To Beomgyu, the kiss felt like it went on for hours when in reality it could have just been a few seconds. Have the footsteps receded? Did the group of teenage girls finally make their way out of earshot? Was the stairway empty now, or were they still there? Why couldn’t he hear anything save from his own heartbeat and the ragged breathing from the male pressed against him?

The hand cupping his face slowly made its way to the back of his neck, gently slipping into his hair. He didn’t know if Soobin just did it out of habit, but when his fingers began scratching his favourite spot at the back of his scalp, Beomgyu accidentally let out the most embarrassing sound of his life. 

Now he hoped the passersby were all gone, because no way in heaven could Beomgyu proceed with the rest of his life with the fact that he just _purred_ into a kiss in an emergency stairway of a damn shopping mall. 

It felt like forever and back when Soobin finally pulled away, panting softly against his lips. Beomgyu felt like all forces of the universe just took turns seizing in and out of him, leaving his body but a disoriented shell. He no longer knew where his soul went, mind blanking out entirely as wide, dazed eyes wordlessly stared at the man in front of him. 

His hands were still on Soobin’s shoulders, and the older was still holding him by his waist. The group of teengers were long gone, not even a sound was left in the empty stairway save for their soft breaths. Now that they no longer had to put up the act, how come neither pulled away? 

It felt like another eternity of Soobin making him liquify under his gaze when the leader spoke up again. To Beomgyu’s surprise, his already deep voice sounded even deeper. “Don’t look at me like that.”

This made the latter blink in confusion. He finally swallowed the lump in his throat, voice returning to him in the form of a cracked whisper. “Like what?”

A heartbeat of silence from Soobin before he responded. He was still so awfully close, their faces almost touching nose to nose. “Like you want to kiss me again.”

Beomgyu’s poor heart finally failed in his chest. Was he that easy to read? 

His breath hitched, eyes subconsciously flickering to the leader’s pouty heart-shaped lips. Soobin didn’t fail to catch it, because he immediately licked them out of habit. He wondered just how many times he’d catch himself mindlessly stare at those lips whenever he was speaking, and he wondered if Soobin ever noticed. 

Perhaps it was one of those cases where stupidity converted into courage in the spur of the moment, because Beomgyu didn’t have time to process his thoughts—he had none, the only thing being on it a variation of Soobin, Soobin and _Soobin_ —when he uttered, “and what if I do?”

His unexpected answer made Soobin break into a half-snort, half-chuckle. The sound was music to his ears, coaxing indescribable warmth through his chest all the way to the pit of his stomach. “So I really am your favourite.”

Soobin’s words made Beomgyu wish a hole would open up beneath him right now and swallow him for good just so he wouldn’t have to cope with the embarrassment he was feeling. 

Just when he was about to whip up some lame retort to shoot him down, Soobin leaned in to press their foreheads together. The lack of distance made the younger hold his breath, and that shut him up for good. 

“Don’t worry,” his voice dropped into a soft whisper, like whatever he was about to say next was only meant for Beomgyu to hear. He was having that nothing-good-ever-coming-out-of-it smile on his face again, eyes crinkling into perfect crescents as they regarded him like he was the only thing Soobin would ever see. Like he was _special._ It was _that_ look again. “You’re mine, too.”

His next breath was stolen from him when the older dipped his head and sealed his lips with his own once more. 

Instead of the earlier hastiness, this time it was surprisingly slow. Soobin’s lips felt warm and impossibly soft against his own, making his thoughts swim. It felt so incredibly welcoming that Beomgyu found himself instantaneously kissing back. 

Soobin’s left hand gently caressed his nape, holding him in place. Beomgyu could feel the cool sting from the metal of his ring against his skin. His mind flashed to barely an hour ago when the salesman referred to them as ‘wedding bands’, and Beomgyu’s heart twisted into an achingly sweet knot inside his chest. Of course Soobin chose to wear it on his ring finger like he would a real one, thus Beomgyu did the same—an identical ring sitting on his own ring finger, which was now wrapped around the taller’s neck. 

The next time Soobin pulled away with an unreadable smile, Beomgyu felt like a piece of his heart was also permanently pulled with him. “I think this is my favourite part of my birthday privilege so far,” he said, finally retreating, pulling Beomgyu by his hand. “Now you have to give me a kiss every hour until the clock strikes midnight.”

Soobin’s longer fingers slipped perfectly into his, intertwining them effortlessly. Beomgyu would never admit it, but the older’s hands were amongst one of Beomgyu’s most favourite things about him. Of course, that also includes holding them. 

They’ve always held hands before, yet something about it this time felt drastically different. “You are so demanding.” He responded as they finally descended the stairs again, yet the only thing on his face to accompany his crude remark was a smile. 

The birthday boy smiled back, cooed and leaned in to press a kiss to his nose—the perfect place regarding their height difference. “Now I’m going to brag to everyone at the dorm that you basically just bought me a wedding ring.”

The comment tore a sigh out of Beomgyu’s lips. “Hyung!” He was then rewarded with another set of melodious giggles. 

“You know, if it’s you, you don’t need to get me anything expensive.” Soobin started, the softness in his tone now in stark contrast to the teasing just seconds earlier. “I don’t even mind if it’s a paper ring.” He lifted their connected hands, twisting them around to look at the ring on his finger. “Thank you.”

Beomgyu immediately blushed. The comment was heartfelt—and he? He doesn’t really do heartfelt. All he was ever good for was masking his feelings with rude remarks while only showing his affection through subtler gestures. 

Therefore, he once again chose stupidity. “Hyung, are you asking me out?”

It was now Soobin’s turn to scoff and roll his eyes. “An hour ago, you called me your fiancé.” Beomgyu only giggled in amusement, nudging his shoulders with his. “We’re wearing matching wedding rings! There is never a more appropriate time to make it more romantic, hyung.”

He only meant it as teasing, but the sincere look that shifted Soobin’s expression next almost caught him off guard. “Well, would you say yes?” 

Beomgyu lost count of the amount of times his heart stopped beating in the past fifteen minutes alone. A few moments passed in silence; just them wordlessly staring into each other’s eyes like a form of unspoken communication. “Are you serious?” He bluntly blurted, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. 

Soobin immediately burned crimson, rapidly blinking and looking away. It was the first time he looked openly flustered. He didn’t respond, and that could only mean one thing.

When the gears finally clicked in his head, Beomgyu immediately broke into a grin and seized the opportunity. “Silly hyung,” he of course started with his trademark insult—Beomgyu style. His free hand reached in to cup Soobin’s cheek, turning him back to face him. His doe eyes were wide with nervousness, and it was the most adorable thing Beomgyu has ever seen. “How could I ever say no to you?”

He then watched in real time as Soobin’s tense expression shifted in slow motion to surprise, relief, then an ecstatic smile. “Really?” He asked, tone more hopeful than Beomgyu’s ever heard him.

The latter could only let out an amused chuckle, nodding his head vigorously. “Yes, really.”

This time, he was the first to initiate the kiss, lightly standing on his tiptoes. It was short and quick, merely longer than a chaste peck; but the smiles on their faces afterward were as big as their hearts. “Happy birthday, my silly hyung.”

Beomgyu has seen Soobin smile at least a million times in the past several years they’ve been together. He had learned to recognise each and every one of them, reading with minute precision of what they entailed. Whether it was genuine, playful, melancholic, disheartened or fake—Beomgyu could always tell, because he has seen it all.

But the one on his face right now he has never seen it before. It made his heart jump in leaps, emotions surging through him like waves. “Yours?”

Soobin can smile or laugh at anybody else however he wanted, but this one? Beomgyu will be gatekeeping it. It’ll only be for him to see, and him only. “Mine.”

Little did Beomgyu know, it’s always been like that from the start.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading! if you want to keep in touch feel free to hit me up on twitter @soobivert! :D leave your thoughts below hehe


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